It could also be that Nicolas isn’t the nicest person before his first cup. He’s actually a downright prick. I mean, he’s a grump regardless, but coffee tames some of that lawyer’s edge.
“Bring him the pot,” Walker teases as his son is nudged into the stool next to him.
Nicolas says nothing, but the unyielding slant of his jaw, the hard cut of his eyes is the only warning we’re given to leave him alone.
I think it’s hilarious.
I know I would not be this moody if someone fucked me the way Dominic fucks him. The man is a filthy, degrading beast with a beautiful dick that I know could solve all my problems. But Nicolas acts like he’s been edged for days with no relief.
Selfish fucker.
Tarts forgotten, Mom is slamming pans on the stove and whisking eggs. She’s going on about a healthy breakfast and the importance of not drinking coffee on an empty stomach, but it’s all a fuzzy hum in the background when Dominic claims the spot next to me.
Right next.
His knee nudges my hip. His foot is on the wrung of my stool. I’m practically between the V of his legs.
But it’s the predatory glint in his eyes, the watchful focus of a wolf daring the rabbit to run. I swallow — audibly — and he smirks.
“Hello, little sister.”
The lazy drawl scuttles along the curve of my spine, sending goosebumps across my skin and tightening my nipples through the soft cotton of my tank. I can’t look to check, but I know they’re visible points begging for attention; the built-in bra is a joke.
“Morning,” I manage weakly.
I don’t think he’s that close, but it feels close. Feels like we’re the only two in the room. Like he’s trying to steal my soul.
“Sleep well?”
It’s a taunt. A dare. If I wasn’t already paranoid, I would think nothing of it, but now I’m scrambling to think if he saw me last night. If I was somehow too loud. If I wasn’t careful.
Stupid, really, given it’s such a normal thing to ask, except…
He never sits next to me.
He never goes out of his way to make conversation. In all the years I’ve known him and Nicolas, we’ve never been close. Chatty. This whole interaction has my nerves on edge.
“Yes,” I force out.
I turn my head to the table and the small cluster of people surrounding it, curious to see if they’re as concerned as I am. But no one is. Mom is scooping scrambled eggs onto plates. Walker and Jacob are in deep discussions over the Christmas tree lighting ceremony later this week.
It all seems fine until I’m caught in the storm clouds of icy gray dominated by thick lashes on a face carved from granite. Displeasure weaves a groove between heavy brows. And familiar annoyance, trademarked exclusively by my brother.
Nicolas crushes me beneath the weight of his attention, the unspoken demand that drops straight to the pit of my stomach. That single laser focus cuts to my core and I tremble without meaning to. Without thought.
Next to me, the stool groans with the shifting of Dominic’s weight. The motion is subtle but Nicolas has released me from his scrutiny to settle on his best friend. To someone who hasn’t been diligently tuning in the last two nights to watch them commit the filthiest acts, I too would have missed the knot in Nicolas’s jaw. The subtle tinge of color in his cheeks. His fingers tighten around the mug in his hand, and I’m struck for a moment by the realization.
“Let me breed your sister or you wear a plug to breakfast in the morning.”
Did Dominic follow through? Is Nicolas wearing a plug or…?
My attention shifts to the man at my shoulder, arm resting casually on the counter as he meets his lover’s gaze with smug amusement.
Not me, I realize with dejection. Nicolas hadn’t given into the idea of letting Dominic have me. I doubt he ever will. It’s a reality I’ll have to accept. In fact, I deeply regret overhearing it in the first place. Ignorance is a luxury I’ve lost and now I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
Nothing, the voice in my head mutters. What kind of crazy person thinks this is normal? They’re not even open about their relationship, but you think you can jump in and be the cream in the middle?
It’s true.
